Gov't on track for 2282 smart senior centers nationwide by year end

Older adults play games on an interactive touch table at a smart senior center in Yangcheon District in Seoul, Oct. 31, 2023. The senior center offers video content, digital education and digital health care programs based on digital technology to help older adults adapt to using connected services. Newsis

The government is establishing around 1,400 smart senior centers equipped with IT services across 27 local governments nationwide this year, to enable older adults to enjoy better digital lives, the Ministry of Science and ICT said Wednesday.

The ICT ministry, together with the National Information Society Agency (NIA), held a briefing session for officers of local governments at the NIA's Seoul office, Wednesday, to explain how to operate and manage the nationwide smart senior centers.

The core service of the centers is to install real-time video communication solutions and connect multiple centers to institutions providing programs for older adults to offer various leisure, welfare, health and education programs to older adults using the centers.

Since 2021, the ICT ministry has started the project to establish smart senior centers in an effort to bridge the digital divide and enable older adults to spend their later years in a better environment with access to video education, health check-ups and more.

In 2023, the government had established a total of 889 smart senior centers across 13 local governments nationwide. It aims to create 1,391 more smart senior centers in 27 local governments this year.

As the digital services and program operations may differ across local governments, this may lead to varying satisfaction levels among local users, the ICT ministry said that it plans to introduce outstanding cases to public officials and gather feedback on areas for improvement from the Korean Senior Citizens Association, which is in charge of managing the senior centers, through such events.

"To prepare for a super-aged society, the ICT ministry will support the nationwide spread of smart senior centers, a core leisure and welfare service for older adults utilizing digital technology," Uhm Yul, director-general of the ICT policy bureau at the ICT ministry, said.

"To ensure the success of this project, local governments are required to maintain continuous interest and effort to promptly supplement and advance the digital infrastructure and operational programs of smart senior centers based on identifying the needs of local older adults,” Uhm added.